Opening her eyes, she stretched her arms over her head with a yawn. “About last night—”
“Never mind that.” He glanced at his watch. “We’ve got a long day ahead of us and we need to focus. I need you at your best. No repeats of last night’s drinking.”
“Right.” She frowned. Something was off with Simon. Gone was the attentive man who had been so caring last night. In his place was her boss. Of course. Now was not the time for personal matters.
“By the way, your husband called,” he informed her. “I didn’t want to wake you, but he said he’d call back later.”
“You mean my ex-husband? Did he want anything?” she asked, ignoring the hint of jealousy she detected in Simon’s voice. Her mind had to be playing tricks on her. There was no way her wealthy boss was interested enough in her to actually be jealous of Gary.
“It didn’t sound like anything serious.” His jaw clenched. “I can save a plate of breakfast for you.”
She groaned, suddenly hit with a wave of nausea rising in her stomach. “I don’t think I can eat much. Not after all the drinks I had last night. This hangover is making me feel sick.”
“You have to eat something,” he said. “You need to get your strength up.”
Heather sighed. “I don’t think I can stand the thought of eating anything.”
“I’ll have the hotel staff whip up a hangover cure for you, and then you will eat something. At least try to get through the morning without incident,” he said. “I do need you sharp and alert today, Heather.”
His tone was all business, dashing any hopes she might have had of getting into anything more personal.
With a nod she said, “Okay. I’ll shower and then meet you downstairs for breakfast.”
“You do that.” He disappeared from the room.
As far as awkward, post-sex, post-drunken nights went, her talk with Simon could have been worse. He seemed distant, even irritated, but at least he seemed willing to give her another chance. Though, that was probably because Simon was a consummate professional who wouldn’t let their personal issues get in the way of work. Too bad she hadn’t known that about him when she had first interviewed for the job. It might have saved them a lot of grief. And maybe she wouldn’t have ended up sleeping with him. Twice.
She could worry about that later. Right now, she had to find a way to get over this hangover and do her job without making things even more tense with her boss.
AFTER POPPING SOME painkillers and taking a quick shower, Heather sent a text to her parents. Finn was probably on his way to school, but she wanted to make sure she got in touch with her son before her day started. It was rare for her to be away from Finn for longer than a day.
Guilt was already making her feel even more jittery as she got dressed. But right now, she had to set her anxiety aside and focus on work. She was working for her son, after all. Making sure she was independent enough to not have to rely on anyone and proving that being a single mom didn’t have to mean the end of her life. If she worked hard, she could set a good example for her son and show that she would never give up no matter how many times life knocked her down.
“There you are,” Simon said when she found him at the table in the hotel dining hall. He shoved a glass of some hideous green concoction over to her side of the table.
Eyeing it suspiciously, she sat across from him. “What on earth is that?”
“Avocado,” he replied, glancing down at the newspaper in his hand.
“You put guacamole in a glass for me?” she asked.
He looked up from his paper. “It’s a mixture of avocado and eggs. Sure to cure any hangover.”
“Simon, that is disgusting.” She wrinkled her nose. “Are the eggs raw?”
Her boss raised an eyebrow. “You think I had the staff put cooked eggs in a glass?”
“Well, I don’t know. It doesn’t sound any more disgusting than raw eggs.” Her fingers curled around the glass.
“The eggs are raw,” he confirmed. “It’s perfectly safe. Just hold your nose and drink it down. After that you can have breakfast.”